Friday, November 22, 2013

Most Notorious Talent Part ONE

Most Notorious Talent is BACK with a TWO PART SHOWCASE!! Part One is to be revealed below and Part Two will be revealed later tonight!

We're SUPER EXCITED because these two ladies that we're about to showcase are very talented and have amazing personalities.

Needless to say, we hope you enjoy!

Please state your name and talent/brand name for our readers.

My name is Rashida Brown and I am the creator/owner of UP by Rashida Kaleah. I specialize in custom, handmade, and upcycled accessories, as well as acrylic and oil paintings.

What made you want to start your own jewelry line?

I've always had a strong love for anything to do with art and self expression. I love to express myself in every facet of my life, from my home decor, to my tattoos, and including the way I dress.

Biology is another passion of mine, and being a BioMed major means learning to love the environment just as much as we study the people who inhabit it. Like most, I never would have thought the two had anything in common. To my surprise, one day while doing some research on pollution I found out that the retail manufacturing industry is the second most polluting industry on Earth. Right then, I KNEW that I wanted to try my best not to contribute to more pollution. It started with exchanging a few mall trips with thrift store visits, I figured "Hey, why not just re-buy whats already been manufactured". Long story short, I ended up becoming a huge thrifting fan. I came across some earrings one day at the thrift store in pretty bad shape, but they had potential so I bought them, took them home, painted them, and added some other odds and ends to it. The final result was something I thought to be not only wearable, but actually quite fabulous. I wore them on a night out and got a ton of compliments on them. The best part about it was when people asked me "Where did you get those earrings!?" I had to tell them that "I made them" and "it's only one pair like them".

After that, it just kind of hit me. Every woman wants to own something that no one else can have, right? I started scouting out of season, out dated, and even some vintage accessories from local thrift shops that were slightly damaged and I would take them home and transform them into something new again. Giving them a second life so to speak. People really liked the idea of having custom made, affordable pieces of jewelry fit for their style and personality. I opened up an Etsy shop and the business just took off from there!

How did you come up with the name?

It stands for Unique Pieces, which is what I make. Unique pieces of wearable art. When I noticed that the two words made an acronym for UP, I instantly fell in love with it. I added the Rashida Kaleah to make it stand apart a little more.

What type of woman do you have in mind when creating one of your custom pieces?

Every and any woman! The women who aren't afraid to make a statement, who are bold, and who are anything but ordinary, of course! I cater to my clients requests, so I try to create a little bit of something for everyone.

We see that you just had an amazing showcase, what's next for you? Any upcoming shows or events that you will be participating in soon?

Thank you so much, and I have a few things coming up. I will be doing some street market and indoor market type events in Alabama, where I attend school. I'll have have a showcase booth in different venues and people will be able to look at and purchase jewelry. In, the spring of 2014 I will also be launching my own website, so I am very excited about that and all the other opportunities that have been coming my way.

It seems as though everyone is finding a niche outside of what they normally do. What makes you and your brand SO NOTORIOUS?

To me, my brand is SO NOTORIOUS because every piece has a story, a journey, each piece goes through a metamorphosis. There isn't one single thing sold by me, that I haven't touched or created with my own two hands. I don't want to sound cliche, but every accessory that I work on is like a diamond in the rough. It's awesome to see it start out as someone's "trash" so to speak, and then be transformed into a statement piece of jewelry, literally a treasure. Every person who has an UP accessory has their story told by a piece of art, created by me. The best part is it can be worn and displayed for everyone to see.